Traveling bag



March l5, 1932.

Filed Dec. 5, 1928 J. M. BRADY TRAVELING BAG Sheets-Sheet l I NVENTOR JssSLca M. aiy

` ATTORNEYS i lMauch l5, 1932. v J. M BRADY 1,849,565

TRAVELING BAG Filed Dec.- 5, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /4 1| I 5 A ihk i if J] l l' r 7 INVENTOR Jessica Mrad] Patented Mar. 115, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT r orFijcl-iA i JESSICA M. BRADY, or IvIAMARoNEox, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR To BRARKA HOLDING CORPORATION, or RYE, NRW YORK, A `CORPORATION or NEWYORK TRAVELING BAG Application med December 5,1928. serial Ne.is23,s4o.

An important object of the-present invention is to provide an improved traveling bag or case of simple, durable construction adapted for carrying numerous pairs of shoes and capable of ready adjustment for carrying other articles also.

Other objects of the invention Awill appear hereinafter. Y

In the drawings: Y

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the closed traveling bag; Y

Fig. 2 a front view of the bag fully opened and with all of its parts in place;

Fig. 3 vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, the front section being indicated in closed position by dotted lines;

Fig. 4 a view similar to Fig. 2 showing another adjustment of the bag;

Fig. 5 a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing one of the retaining strips partly withdrawn; Y

Fig. 6 a horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 7 a detail section on a larger scale taken on the line 7-7 of Figr.

The form of the bag is box-like and similar to that of a standard suitcase. It comprises two rigid sectionsl and 2 whicln'for identiication, maybe called lfront and rear sections respectively. Each section comprises a stif, rectangular leaf or back 3 and a strong rigid frame extending forwardly from the leaf and forming top and bottom walls 4 and 5 respectively and side walls 6. The said leaf and walls of each section may be made of wood, fiber or other suitable stiff material and preferably have a covering 7 of leather or other suitable'material. Hinges 8 connect together the free edges of the bottom walls 5 and adaptlthe sections to fold together with the edges of the top, bottom and side walls abutting. The abutting edges of said walls are oppositely beveled as at 9 so that they nest together and seal the closed bag. Preferably thepwalls of both sections are of the same depth so that the capacities of thetwo sections are equal.. A handle 10 of usual form, Vfor carrying the. case, is mounted upon the top wall 4 of the rear section 2. Near the ends of said wall are mounted two hasps l1 which' are adapted to engage locks 12 mounted upon the top wall of front section 1.

When the bag is adjusted, as shown in Fig. 2, for carrying shoes, removable stiff partitions 13 are mounted in each bag section. In the present instance there are two partitions in each section extending substantially'the height of the interior space thereof. They are preferably spaced so that they divide the interior 'space into three equal, vertically elongated compartments each of a proper size and shape to accommodate a pair of shoes. Each partition is supported in operative position by a pair of guides 14 mounted upon the'upper and lower walls of the section. Each guide is a channel member formed of sheet metal and provided at its ends with laterally extending ears which are permanently attached to the bag section as -at'15. The

guides extend straight fore and-aft' of the section and engage the upper and lower ends of a partition to support it in a vertical position and permit it to be slid forwardly and withdrawn through the open face of the section.

Secured to the inner faces of the side walls 6 of each bag sectionare two guides 16 which are similar to the guides 14 but extend vertically andare disposed just inwardly of the beveled edge 9 of the section. The pair of guides 16 upon section 2 are located near the lower wall 5 of the section while-the pair upon section 1 are located nearthe upper wall 4. Each pair serves to .support a `retaining strip or panel 17 formed of comparatively sti'lf Ymaterial such` as wood, liber or the like. A panel is provided for each section and is formed to extend clear across the section in front of the partitions and have its ends slidably engaged in the guides 16. c 1

The vertical width of each panel is slightly more thanV half the height of the interior spaces of the sections. When they are mounted in place the panel of the rea-r section 2 is supported by its guides to close the lower portions of the shoe compartments of that section. The panel Vof the front section 1 is supported by its guides to close the upper portions of the shoe compartments when said section is folded against its companion section 2. Owing to this staggered arrangement of the panels in the closed bag the panel of each section will close the open portions of the compartments of the other section so that the opposed compartments of the two sections are entirely separated and their contents are fully housed. Also, when the front section is swung down to a position below the rear section 2 the compartments will all open upwardly and forwardly, the open spaces above the panels 17 being sufficient for the insertion and removal of the shoes.

Upon the upper wall of the rear section 2 a loop 18 is hingedly mounted. This loop is located midway between the ends of the section and adjacent the rear edge of the top wall. It is adapted to be engaged with a hook l-I, or the like, for suspending the opened or unfolded bag, as shown in Fig. 3.

Each panel 17 bears against the forward edges of the partitions 13 and holds the partitions against withdrawal in addition to holding in the contents of the compartments. Preferably the panels are slightly flexible and resilient and their guides 16 are disposed slightly inwardly of the plane of the forward edges of the partitions so that t-he panels must be flexed or bowed slightly over the partition edges in order to engage their ends with the guides. The resilience of the bowed panels then frictionally binds the ends of the panels in the guides and holds the panels against accidental displacement. l

When it is required to pack Vother articles than shoes in either bag section, one or more of the partitions 13 is removed to provide suitable space. This is done by first pulling the panel 17 upwardly along its guides and along the ed'es of the partitions. The guides are so designed and disposed as to free the panel when it is shifted near the top of the section so that it can be entirely removed. Removal of the panel frees the partitions and they may be withdrawn forwardly along their guides 14 in a direction at right angles to the shift of the retaining panel.

ln Fig. 4ithe retaining panel 17 and both partitions have been removed from the lower or front section 1 leaving it entirely empty to accommodate large articles. From the upper section 2 only one partition has been re moved, the panel 17 being replaced to hold the remaining partition in placeA There is then a small compartment reserved for a pair of shoes and a larger one for other articles, the panel retaining the contents in both.

The inner wall-s of the bag sections as well as the surfaces of the partitions and retaining panels are preferably entirely covered with fabric or other suitable soft material indicated at 19 to prevent scratching of the contents and to give an attractive, finished appearance to the interior of the bag.

The bag is designed to make it a throughly satisfactory carrier or storage case for ladies fine shoes and other articles. Shoes arc kept separated in pairs and chen the bag is closed each pair is completely housed and protected. lVhen the bag is opened and suspended the shoes are readily accessible and exposed suiiiciently for identification and selection but are held from falling out. The entire interior of the bag is capable of easy adjustment or conversion to varying degrees for carrying articles of different character,

shapes and sizes. This convertibility is had without complicating the structure of the bag. The structure is extremely simple, strong and durable throughout.

1ilhile l have shown and described a very satisfactory form of my invention l do not wish to be limited strictly to this disclosure nit reserve the right to make such changes as will lie within the scope of the claims. For example the form, number and arrangement of the compartments may be varied. without departing from the spirit of my invention.

lVhat l claim is:

1. A traveling bag including a rigid boi;- lile section open at one face; a transverse partition in a plane extending fore and aft dividing the interior of said section into a plurality of adioining compartments; means supporting said partition in operative position and adapting it to be shifted out of said position to place the adjoining compartments in communication andform a single larger compartment; a slightly flexible, broad flat resilient retaining strip extending across the front open faces of the ccmpartments and across the forward edge of the partition to partly close said compartments and serve as front walls thereof and retain the contents of the compartments and hold the partition in place; and guides carried by the section to engage the opposite ends of the retaining strip, hold it in place and permit it to be freed from said guides by shifting it along the direction of the partition edge, said guides being so positioned as 'to require the strip to be bowed slightly over the partition to engage its ends with the guides. whereby the resilience of the strip will frictionally hold it to the guides against accidental displacement.

9. A traveling bag of box-like form comprising` a pair of rigid front and rear sections of approximately the same dimensions hinged together at their lower edges and adapted to unfold into the same plane; vertical partitions in planes extending` fore and aft dividing the interior of each section transversely into a plurality of compartments; means removably supporting said partitions in operative position and adapting them to be shifted to place adjoining compartments in communication and form a single larger compartment; a pair of broad,

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flat retaining panels one carried by each section in a vertical plane, extending across the compartments and across the forward edges of the partitions of the sections to retain the contents of the compartments in place and hold the partitions in operative position, one of said panels being located near the bottom ot one section and the other being located at the top ci the other section when the sections arefolded; and means to removably hold said retaining panels in place and adapt them to be removed for the release of the partitions, the panels in their operative positions forming liront walls partly closing the compartments whereby when the bag is closed the retaining panel of each section will close the open front portions of the compartments of the other section.

3. A traveling bag comprising a pair of riOid front and rear sections hinged together at their lower edges and adapted to unfold into the same plane; vertical partitions slidably mounted in said sections and extending transversely thereof in planes extending fore and aft to divide them into adjoining compartments and adapted to be forwardly withdrawn; pair of broad flat front forming retaining strips slidably mounted upon the sections and extending across the compartments to close the lower portions thereof when the sections are unfolded and serving to retain the contents therein, and across the forward edges of the partitions to hold them in place, one front forming strip heilig slidably mounted upon each section and adapterJ to be removed by sliding it at a right angle to the direction'of partition withdrawal.

Il. A traveling bag of box-like form com` prising a pair of rigid front'and rear sections hinged together along their lower edges and adapted to unfold into the same plane; a vertical partition in each section dividing the latter transverselyl into compartments; guides carried by the upper and lower walls of each section to engage the ends of the partition, slidably support it inplace and adapt it to be forwardly withdrawn; a retaining panel in an upright plane extending horizontally across the compartments and across the :forwardy edge of the partition of each section and having a height slightly more than one half that of the compartments; vertical guides carried by the end walls of each section to engage the opposite ends of the retaining panel, slidably support the panel of the rear section to close the lower portions of its compartments and support the panel of the front section to close the upper portions of its compartments when the bag is closed, said panel guides being designed to release the rear panel when it is slid away from the hinge connection and to release the front panel when it is slid toward the hinge connection.

5. A traveling bag including a rigid boxlilre section open at one face; a stiff vertical partition in a plane extending fore and aft dividing the interior of said section into a plurality of adjoining compartments; guides engaging the. upper and lower endsiof said partition, supporting it against laterall displacement and adapting it to be withdrawn forwardly edgewise through the open face of the section to place said adjoining compartments in communication and form a single larger compartment; a stiif retaining panel in an upright plane extending horizontally across said compartments and across the front edge of the partition; and short vertical guides carried by the section engaging the opposite ends of said panel to normally support the latter in a position to close the lower portions of the compartments, the panel and its guides both terminating materially below the upper ends of the compartments to render the contents of the latter visible over the upper edge of the panel and to render the panel removable by sliding it upwardly beyond the limits of the guides.

6. A traveling bag of box-like form comprising a pair of rigid front and rear sections hinged together along their lower edges and adapted to unfold into the same plane; a vertical partition in each section dividing the latter transversely into compartments; i'ore-and-a-ft guides carried by the upper and lower walls of each section to engage the ends of the partition, slidably support it in place and adapt it to be forwardly withdrawn edgewise; a slightly flexible and resilient retaining panel extending `across thecompartments and across the forward edge of the partition of each section; vertical guides carried by the end walls of each section to engage the opposite ends of the retaining panel, slidably support the panel of one section to close the lower portions of its compartments and support the panel of the other section to close the upper portions of its compartments when the bag is closed, and disposed to hold the panels slightly bowed over the forward edges of the partitions to frictionally hold the ends of the panels in the guides, said panel guides being designed to release one of said panels when it is slid away from the hinge connection and to release the other panel when it is slid toward the hinge connection.

7. A convertible traveling bag including a box-like section open at one face; a vertical partition dividing said section into compartments and mounted for forward edgewise lao withdrawal through said open face; and a l yio cal shifting along the forward edge of the partition out of operative position and releasable by said shifting to render the panel and the partition removable from the bag section.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

JESSICA M. BRADY. 

